Son of Odo
by rvonwahlde
Summary: Odo returns from the Gamma quadrant for a date with Kira Nyres. While back on the DS9 station, he discovers there is a part of his form that is no longer under his control. Has the unformed Changeling that sacrificed itself to restore Odo's morphogenic matrix after The Founders made him a solid returned? Or has the shadowy Section 31 reintroduced the morphogenic virus?
1. The Founders Homeworld

Viewed from space, the planet of the Founders appears golden from the light reflected by its inhabitants. This differs from other Class M planets with oceans, like Bajor, which has a greenish tint when seen from space because the atmosphere and water scatter those wavelengths the most. Even on the surface of the Founder's world, the honeyed sea imparts the sky with an aurous glow. Not that there is much of a solid surface. Tiny, scattered islands comprise the only landmass. And these almost appear to be artificial constructs like sets on an antique sound stage.

An observer standing on an islet shoreline would notice something peculiar about the surrounding fluid. There is no evident weather to cause a breeze across the liquid. No moon to create an ebb or flow. Yet, its surface is in almost constant motion. At times it looks like storm tossed waves. Sometimes it appears as a placid pond with only gentle ripples. Yet, even these movements are not random, failing to follow the laws of fluid dynamics. Troughs may spontaneously invert to crest. Rolling crests may stop and reverse direction. On rare occasions, a standing wave pattern may appear like the resonance of a taunt drum skin.

All this would point to the conclusion that the liquid itself is alive and apparently even intelligent. This hypothesis would be supported upon witnessing a ripple contracting upon itself, moving toward the shore, and then coalescing into a fountain rising up from the center like the backsplash of a raindrop caught on high speed imagers. The theory would be backed further when that column began to take on form, texture and color. It would be confirmed when a man, inexplicably wearing a black and white tuxedo, stepped ashore.

Odo paused and glanced down at his attire. He was headed back to DS9 for a date with Kira Nyres. She and he had stood on this very outcrop of rock when he was about to rejoin the Great Link after the Dominion War, (in an effort to persuade them to coexist peacefully with solids.) In a highly uncharacteristic show of flare, Odo had "gone out in style" by donning a tux as he waded into the Link. It was his homage to the times he and Kira had spent in the 1960's-era Earth casino and lounge operated by the holo-sentience Vic.

Since then he had made two visits back to the Alpha Quadrant for rather unpleasant reasons. The first was during the threat of the parasitic invasion of the Federation and Bajorian governments. On that excursion, he had felt the need to remain undercover as a Trelian woman named Wex until he felt it safe to reveal himself to Kira. Those events had turned out favorably, allowing him to spend several weeks with his beloved.

His last return had been much more painful. He had had to deal with the aftermath of Tarantar's rebellious actions and the Jem'Hadar's near fatal wounding of Kira. Odo allowed himself a moment of longing for those "simpler" times when he was only responsible for the safety and well being of the people on DS9 instead of two confederacies: The Federation and the Dominion, in opposite quadrants of the galaxy. Having nearly lost Kira to the hand of the Jem'Hadar he himself was responsible for sending to DS9, Odo wanted more than ever to spend time with her.

Odo thought Kira might enjoy the tux as a bit of lighthearted "badda bing" on his part. But now, on second thought, he did not want to share such a private moment with everyone who would see him on the journey; starting with the ever obsequious 9th incarnation of the Vorta Weyoun aboard Jem'Hadar Attack Vessel 471, to whoever might greet him at a DS9 docking station. Odo habitually reverted to the Bajoran military uniform he had most often displayed. But, reminding himself that he was no longer "Constable Odo," he changed once again to a nondescript outfit that he assumed Bajoran's still wore.

Odo moved toward the calling device set into the rock face and used it to summon the Jem'Hadar ship that always stood in orbit ready to heed the bidding of the Founders. He felt a twinge in his "gut" and placed his hand atop it. Could it be that he was actually nervous about his rendezvous with Kira? Was he now experiencing the psychosomatic symptoms of "butterflies in his stomach?" Of course he had no digestive system. But he had spent a lifetime around humans. Indeed, he had actually once had a stomach when The Founders had sentenced him to solid form as punishment for killing one of his own kind. The thought that he was anxious actually pleased him somewhat.

Odo signaled and was quickly beamed up to the spacecraft. Weyoun began his usual sycophantic greeting. As Odo stepped off the transporter pad, he experienced a moment of vertigo. He speculated what the cause might be. Sometimes, upon breaking from the Great Link, he found that there was a short period of acclimation to reestablishing his individuality. Or perhaps the transport settings were off. He suggested as much to Weyoun and summarily dismissed the incident as he gave orders to head toward the wormhole and DS9 beyond.


	2. DS9 Station

Odo was pleased that it was only Kira who met him at the docking station. She looked much healthier than when he had last seen her shortly after she had emerged from the coma her near death injuries had brought on. But to Odo, even then, she had been the most beautiful sight in either quadrant. He took her in his arms in a tight embrace and, with an action only a changeling could perform, allowed his arms to vibrate, massaging Kira's back muscles. It was something she always took delight in and a technique he had found quickly relaxed Kira who was a tense person by nature. They made lover's small talk as they headed to Quark's holosuite for an evening at Vic's.

Suddenly Odo bent over and winced at a pain in his abdominal area. Over many objections, Kira managed to drag him to the infirmary where he hotly insisted to Dr. Bashir that he was just fine. A cursory exam revealed nothing. By changing his tone Odo managed to persuade them that he would come back for a more thorough checkup before departing to the Gamma Quadrant, if only they would let him and Nerys get on with their plans. And so, with Nerys still apprehensive, they headed out the door of the infirmary toward Quark's across the way.

Odo was surprised when the next thing he remembered was looking up into the concerned faces of Dr. Bashir and Kira. From his surroundings, he quickly assessed that he was back in the infirmary. "What happened?" he demanded. "You passed out." Julian answered. "Ridiculous. I'm a Changling. I don't 'Pass Out.'" "OK", answerd Dr. Bashir. "Then you 'lost consciousness.' Call it what you will but you were only gone a moment when Quark called me with a medical emergency outside his bar." "Quark!", Odo exclaimed with a distain that he didn't really feel, "He probably did this to me." "Is that the thanks I get for saving your life Odo?" Quark's voice called out from the waiting area. "Quark, give us some privacy." Julian called back and he activated the noise cancellation device that cut off external sounds to the examination area.

"What is it Doctor?" Odo asked seeing the uneasiness on Bashir's face. "I've detected some sort of a 'mass' inside you." Bashir responded. Odo took stock of his interior and felt the volume for the first time. "What sort of mass?" Kira asked before he could. "I don't know yet. But I'd like to take some more scans with your cooperation, Odo." Bashir replied. "Of course Doctor," Odo said. "Given your unique physiology, could you bring the mass closer to your exterior so I can get more direct readings of it?" Odo tried to shift the object to the outside. The nearer it got, the more discomfort he felt. The distress must have been evident on his face because he saw it mirrored on Kira's.

Bashir looked intently at his new scans. "When was the last time you regenerated?" he asked. "I just came from the Link. I shouldn't need to regenerate for16 hours yet." Odo answered. "I would like for you to do something for me." Julian continued. He retrieved a deep tray from a storage nook and held it out to Odo. "Would you please revert to the liquid state in which you regenerate?" For anyone else, except Kira, and perhaps Lwaxana Troi, Odo would have indignantly refused. But he knew that Dr. Bashir was not asking to indulge some perverse intellectual curiosity. "Certainly Doctor." Odo replied. "If you would remain in that state until I tell you I'm done with the scan?" Julian politely asked.

Odo, looked to Kira and tried to give her a reassuring smile. He then willed his form into the tray. He immediately detected that a part of him did not liquefy with the rest of him. He formed some temporary visual sensors at one end of the tray so he could take a look at himself. There in the center of his fluid body sat a sphere of "something else." It was not under his volition and therefore seemed apart from him. It already seemed larger than before. He then allowed his "eyes" to flow back into his essence.

After a few minutes, Odo sensed Dr. Bashir's vocalizations and concluded that he was done with his scan. He reformed into his normal visage. Odo saw even more concern on Bashir's and Kira's faces than before. "What did you find, Doctor?" "I'll give it to you straight, Constable." Julian said using his former, formal title. "This…'growth', seems to exhibit some of the properties not unlike those when you were infected with the Founder genocide virus." Odo heard Kira gasp. "But I'm not certain."Dr. Bashir quickly amended. "There are also characteristics not at all like that." "With your permission, I would like to send for Dr. Mora Pol for a consult on this."

There had been a time when Odo would have vehemently rejected such a request. He used to have nothing but contempt for the man. But in recent years, Dr. Mora and Odo had come to a new understanding between them. Mora was not the detached zookeeper that Odo had long seen him to be when he had spent his formative years with the scientist. And Odo was not the lab specimen that Mora had, however unintentionally, treated Odo as. Now, they had formed a newfound respect for each other and an almost personable relationship. Odo glanced at Nerys and read from her that she hoped he would agree. "Do what you must, Doctor." Judging from her response Odo knew he had been right about Kira's thoughts.

"In the mean time," Julian said, "I would like to pursue another, rather unorthodox consultation." "And that would be?" Odo prodded. "I propose we go directly to the source to determine if the Founder pathogen is at play here. I will attempt to contact a representative of Section 31 to ask if they are involved in this in anyway.""What makes you think that they would answer? And even if they did, what reason do we have to believe there response?" Kira asked with contempt in her voice. "As perverse as their ideology about how to protect the Federation might be," Julian answered, "I believe that, in their own minds at least, members of Section 31 believe themselves to be honorable. If they are not behind this, they will say so. Also, ego is a central personality trait in their psychological profile. If they have reintroduced the genocidal virus, I think that they will almost boastfully claim responsibility."

Odo found it ironic that Julian could speak about ego in such a detached way. Since Section 31 had tried to recruit him, obviously they felt Bashir fit their profile. Given Bashir's long fascination with Garek and his penchant for spy holonovels, Odo would have good cause to dismiss Bashir's suggestion to bring in Section 31. But he trusted the doctor enough to defer to his idea. "How will you contact them?" Odo asked. "I still have the contact information that Sloan gave me when he tried to recruit me. They know, of course, that it is compromised but they probably still have means to monitor it covertly. Besides, it wouldn't surprise me if they had this room bugged now," Julian said with a grin. His attempt at some levity didn't bring much comfort to Odo.


	3. Bashir's Quarters

So it happened that Odo was in Bashir's quarters that evening. After sending out the query, Bashir and Odo devised a plan to lay in wait in case a Section 31 operative showed up that evening. It was all they could do to persuade Kira to let them handle it alone. Obviously, a visitor from Section 31 would not fall for the same trap that Bashir had used to capture Sloan. Sloan had ended up taking his own life in an attempt to keep the cure for the changeling virus away from the Federation. A new operative would likely scan for force fields and phasers before entering the room. It had been decided that Odo himself would act as sentry.

Until recently, Odo would have simply made himself into a rug or a flat wall hanging or even a layer of paint as his disguise. But given the still growing form within him, he had opted to become an end table with the non-liquefying sphere forming a globe sitting atop it.

Odo had just taken on that shape and Bashir was heading into the 'fresher when Odo spotted the individual. Odo was very familiar with transporters. But this person didn't so much transport as simply pop into existence in the room. Odo moved to extend a pseudo pod to snare the man. But he found that he was unable to morph at all. At once he recognized the effects of a device used to prevent shape shifters from changing their form. He began to curse himself for putting himself and the doctor into this vulnerable situation. Bashir turned around and cried out in surprise, "Sloan!"

"You're dead! I saw you die." Bashir continued. "Hello, Dr. Bashir." the man said and then deliberately turned toward Odo. "Hello Odo." Odo saw that it was indeed a person who looked like Sloan. "Your quite right, Julian," Sloan said gesturing for Bashir to take a seat so they could both face Odo. "The Sloan you last saw is truly dead. Nevertheless, I am Sloan." "A Sloan clone?" asked Bashir. "Correct to an extent, Doctor. During the Dominion War, Section 31 acquired the technology used by the Founders to recreate their Vorta. Like them, I am not merely a copy of Sloan. My memories, as of my last mental download, are also intact. So, I recall everything prior to going on my last assignment to meet you. But of course, I have no direct recollection of my death." "So your Sloan number 2?" asked Julian. "Actually, number 3, but there's no reason to go into that." Sloan said sheepishly.

Julian seemed to snap back to the here and now despite his obvious interest in the new twist to this plot. "What have you done with Odo?" he said looking toward the table. "Nothing irreversible, I assure you. He's simply in a stasis field so we can all talk. And to answer the broader meaning to your question, I am here to tell you that Section 31has not brought back the Founder virus." "And why should we believe you?" Bashir replied. "Because," Sloanresponded, " Section 31 has moved on to the next threat against the Federation. The Dominion War is over. We won, in no small part thanks to Section 31. We created the virus to wipe out the Founders in order to preserve the Federation. That it was saved without all the Founders dying is immaterial. At least for now, they are no longer a threat. Therefore, we have no reason to devote our resources to finishing them off. Besides," Sloan continued, "we in Section 31 are honorable people. I give you my word that we are not using the virus again." Odo saw the wry smile on Sloan's lips and Bashir's reaction to Sloan's almost direct quotation of Bashir's words from the infirmary.

"I wasn't sure that anyone would respond at all," Bashir said. "The only reason I made contact is that I have a soft spot for you, Julian." Sloan said. "After all, you did try to save my life when I killed myself. And I still hold out hope that you may one day yet join Section 31." With that, Sloan vanished as did the stasis field holding Odo. Odo returned to his customary shape. But he couldn't help but glance down to where Julian was staring at a paunch that looked like what Odo had heard Vic call a "beer belly." The mass was continuing to grow.


	4. The Infirmary

No one was more frustrated than Captain Kira appeared to be at their inability to determine how "Sloan" had traveled to DS9 so quickly and how he had gotten on and off the station. There was no residual transporter signature. Nor were there any trace energy readings in any of the station sensor logs to indicate a cloaked ship. There was not even a single biological sample left behind in Bashir's quarters. Odo regretted that he had not created a set of sensors that reached beyond the normal visual wavelengths in which he "saw" the world. Neither he nor Bashir recalled that the visitor had physically interacted with any object in the room. This led them to speculate that perhaps Sloan had not been there in the flesh at all. He could have been a holo-image from some sort of undetectable holoprojector. Perhaps it hadn't even been Sloan communicating with them. Maybe, for reasons known only to Section 31, they had used the subterfuge of a still, very-dead Sloan. But Odo's "growing" problem did not allow them to spend any further effort answering these questions.

When Dr. Mora Pol arrived at the station, he and Dr. Bashir began a series of pokes, proddings and other indignities as they conducted test after test on Odo. Now he and Kira waited in the infirmary as they tried to overhear parts of the loud, sometimes heated, discussion taking place between Mora and Bashir in the next room. Not one used to inaction, Odo paced back and forth. Besides, the bulge in his middle made it uncomfortable to sit. Standing didn't offer much relief. The pseudo-muscles in Odo's back ached from supporting the extra weight at the front. Even his ankles hurt from the unwelcome shift in his center of gravity.

Odo grasped at his lower back stretching and leaning rearward in a failed effort to lessen the soreness. He let out a grunt of pain and was surprised to hear Kira actually release a snort of laughter that she quickly tried to suppress. "And what do you find so amusing?" Odo asked a little too harshly. "I'm sorry, Odo." Kira replied. "It's just the way you were standing. With your back arched. And your stomach extended. And your mannerisms. For a moment there, it made me think… I mean that you looked…" She trailed off. "Looked what?" Odo prodded. "Looked pregnant!" Kira blurted out with another snicker. Odo did not find that amusing at all.

He would have said as such but just then Doctors Bashir and Mora entered. Odo hadn't noticed that their debate had ended. "Odo." Bashir started but stopped and looked at Mora indicating that he should continue. "Odo." Mora repeated. "We believe we've discovered what's going on with you." But then he hesitated and glanced at Bashir. Odo, who was feeling more irritable by the moment, cynically said the first thing that came to his mind. "Let me guess, you've found out that I'm pregnant." But judging from their startled response to his glib remark, Odo suddenly dreaded to hear their next words.

"I'm what!?" Odo exclaimed in unison with Kira's "He's what!?" "Well, it's not the term I would have chosen to use." Bashir started. "But it is essentially accurate." Mora finished. "Pregnant!? That's impossible!" Odo protested. "Changelings don't reproduce. They don't 'get pregnant'!" "Nevertheless," Bashir went on, "There is a genetically separate changeling inside you. And, as best as Dr. Mora and I can determine, you are currently sustaining it. A pre-born, baby changeling seems as accurate a way to describe it as any other."

"But that's impossible." Odo repeated this time with less vehemence. He had collapsed in a chair out of sheer shock. He was grateful that Kira was right by his side holding his arm in a comforting manner. "How can this be?" Odo asked looking up at the doctors. Mora shifted into his clinical disposition as easily as Odo could into his Bajoran form. "Upon determining that there were two life signs in the scans, our first theory was that the undeveloped changeling that restored your morphogenic matrix, after The Founders had made you a solid, was somehow making a reappearance. After all, we only assumed that it had given up its last life energy when it merged with you before dying. However, the genetic makeup of the changeling within you is distinct. It is a different changeling."

"How can this be?" Odo thought to himself. He was thankful that the others in the room were giving him a moment to himself. He knew that changelings did not reproduce. Indeed, it was one reason for their extreme xenophobia of solids and why they had gone to such tremendous effort to isolate and protect themselves from the rest of the galaxy. Fear of extinction, which was an inevitable consequence to any non-reproducing species, had even caused them to formulate a Founder god. It had been the true reason they had sent the one hundred unformed changelings, including Odo, out into the galaxy. Not to satisfy an intellectual curiosity but to draw their god back to them to ultimately save them from disappearance.

"Unformed changelings." Odo mused. They still existed within the Great Link. They were un-self-aware parts of the Link; part of, but still distinct from the whole. They had apparently remained that way since the origin of the changelings. It had been from that group that the 100 had been drawn and dispersed. Odo's investigator brain could come to only one conclusion. He was carrying one of the unformed changelings within him.

When he informed Mora, Bashir and Kira of his hypothesis they seemed relieved. However bizarre, the situation started to make sense. They speculated on whether the changelings had sent the "baby" out with Odo, or if the infant had somehow attached to Odo on its own. Odo was leaning toward the former. He would not be surprised to learn that the Link had deliberately kept this plan from him for reasons they believed to be in their best interest. Even after all the time he had spent in the Great Link with them, they didn't completely trust them. Perhaps mistrust was too strong a word. They didn't understand him. They couldn't grasp why he willingly left the Link on a frequent basis; sometimes for weeks at a time. Odo was determined to find out when he returned to the Founder's world. Until then, there was little point in speculating further.

"How long?" Kira asked. Thinking she was asking how long he planned to stay on DS9, Odo started to assure her that he would not leave earlier than they had planned."No." she said directing her question to Mora and Bashir. "How long, until Odo delivers his baby?" This caught all the men off guard. Kira, a woman who had given birth herself, had brought them back to the reality that Odo would be having a baby.

After another, shorter consultation among themselves, Mora and Bashir returned. They had reexamined the data in light of the new hypothesis. They had extrapolated out the rate of growth of the unborn changeling. They had speculated, based on other biological developments, and had narrowed the timeframe for the birth to occur as "soon." "Soon? That's the best you can do?" Odo asked. "I'm sorry Odo, but this is a first for us as much as it is for you. We simply have no precedent on which to base a better guess."Bashir answered somewhat defensively.

"What will it be like?" Odo asked. Bashir and Mora stared at each other and then turned toward Kira. "Don't look at me!" Kira said holding her hands up in front of her. "If you don't mind Doctors, I'd like to be alone with Kira." Odo stated. "Certainly," Mora said and he and Bashir stepped out. Odo and Kira sat down next to each other. Odo took Kira's hands in his. He looked her in the eyes. "I'm frightened," he admitted. "I know. But I will be here for you no matter what happens," she assured him.


	5. The Arrival

Odo would have preferred to have waited for the culmination of events to unfold in some guest quarters or better yet to have returned to the Founder's World. But there was no way that he was going out in public where he could be seen in his current state. And, reluctantly, he had to agree with Mora and Bashir that a site-to-site transport from the infirmary to the habitat ring or to Jem'Hadar Attack Vessel 471 or warp travel presented possible unknown risks to the neonatal changeling. Besides, Bashir and Mora wanted to be as close as possible when the event came in case they had to offer any necessary medical assistance to Odo or the child. So Odo and Kira sat about waiting in the infirmary for who knew how long.

So far, Odo, Kira, Bashir and Mora were the only ones on the station who knew about Odo's "pregnancy." By now, everyone else was surely aware that Odo had been having some sort of medical problem. There had been plenty of witnesses to his "fainting" outside of Quarks. Odo had sent a terse, voice-only message to Weyoun telling him he was all right and to remain docked.

Kira and Odo were killing some time viewing the many "Get Well" messages that were streaming in from as far away Bajor. Odo had to admit to himself that he was enjoying the heartfelt communications. Kira had not been surprised by the degree of affection others had for Odo even though he had been unaware of it. When they came to the greeting sent by Quark they fully expected it to be a not so subtle attempt to pry information from them. "Odo, Kira," Quark's image said nodding to each in turn even though it was a recording, "I just wanted to wish the new father and Moogie to be 'Congratulations' and 'Best Wishes.' I've already create a holo-program I'm sure you'll be interested in. A special 'changeling' nursery, with all the shapes, colors and textures any son of Odo would love. As my gift to you on this happy occasion, I give you the first day free, after that we can negotiate a very reasonable fee. Ah, I'm feeling generous, let's make it the first two days free. Take care."

"How did he know!?" Odo shouted, shooting out of his chair his anger about to explode. But that stress triggered something. Suddenly Odo felt as if he were going to split in two, which in a very real sense he was about to do. "Doctor Mora! Bashir!" Kira shouted, "It's time!" They hurried in and it was all the three of them could do to get Odo's now writhing mass up onto a bed. Odo clutched Kira's arm so tightly that he heard her callout in pain. "I'm sorry, Kira," he said loosening his grip. "It's OK, Odo. I'm here. Now, try to relax."

Odo began to lay out the situation in his mind as dispassionately as he might look at evidence when solving a petty crime. Certainly, what was occurring was a strange experience. It was even very painful. But he had experienced lots of strange events in his life. And he had felt far worse agony when he had broken a leg while in human form or when he had been unable to revert to liquid form while infected with the Founder's disease. More importantly, he knew that with Kira at his side, he could get through anything. Bashir and Mora stood running medical tricorders over him. Other than that, they really did not know much more to do.

Odo relaxed and began to observe what was happening. Slowly at first, then more quickly, a tubular, undulating shape began to rise out from Odo's stomach. It twisted and weaved like a vine shoot looking for a stick around which to wind itself. The cylinder stopped rotating when it was pointed at Odo's face. It thickened at the same time it extended closer to him. The tip formed an amorphous blob that began to take on a shape that was suddenly recognizable as a face similar to Odo's. The other's were standing around with their mouths hanging open.

"Help me sit up," Odo requested. Kira was quick to work the control that tilted the bed into a sitting position. As Odo bent at the waist, he took the mass at its base in his hands and it slid clear of contact with Odo's abdomen. "Congratulations Odo," Doctor Bashir said. "It's a changeling."

Odo gazed at the new life in his grasp. He tilted his head from side to side and, as he did so, the baby changeling did the same. "May I?" Doctor Mora asked as he reached for the newborn. "No!" Odo called out pulling is arms away from Mora's clutch. He was not about to allow this changeling to be treated as a laboratory specimen the way he had been. But then Odo decided to give Pol the benefit of the doubt and handed the infant over to him. Mora held the child with a look of awe. "I feel like a proud grandfather," he said and then moved to hand the baby back to him. Odo motioned that he should hand him off to Kira instead. Doctor Bashir, who had been discretely taking some tricorder readings of child, touched Mora's arm and indicated that they should exit. "We'll leave you three alone," he said as they left the room.

"Oh Odo, he's beautiful!" Kira cooed. Funny how they had already taken to identifying him as a boy, Odo thought. Perhaps it was because of his attempt to mimic Odo's features. Although, in a biological sense, there were no sexes of changelings. Nevertheless most changelings took on a more or less permanent gender. Odo wondered idly if a female had raised him instead of Mora Pol, would he have identified as a female?

But such ruminations were overwhelmed as Kira handed back his son to Odo."My son," Odo thought. "Can I even make such a claim?" After all, this infant had existed for as long as the Founders. Yet in some small sense Odo had given him life. And until the two of them returned to the Great Link, Odo would be the only changeling this boy would know. Therefore by default, Odo would be a father to him the way Mora had been to him. No, not the same way. Odo would make use of whatever time he had with this newly aware changeling to be the best father he could be.

The child had already segmented itself into a head, body and limbs. It looked like Odo was carrying a stuffed doll made from golden flax. Mora was astonished at the rate the baby was developing its shape shifting abilities. Odo was already beginning to speculate that this was due to the period of gestation the unformed changeling had undergone. Perhaps this would prove a far better way of introducing the remaining embryonic changeling in the Link to the galaxy.

After receiving a clean bill of health from Bashir and Mora, Odo and Kira prepared to leave the infirmary with the baby changeling. Odo no longer wanted to hide from the station population. In fact he felt a new kinship with them thanks to their many well wishes. And he was beaming like a new father ought to, anxious to show off his son. When they stepped from the infirmary, there was a large crowd waiting there.

As large groups tend to do, they began to inadvertently press in on Odo and the new wonder of a baby changeling. Odo felt the infant draw toward him. Obviously he was becoming overwhelmed. Odo and Kira, first politely then more forcibly asked the crowd to step back and give them more room. But as more people on the outskirts pushed in it prevented those closer from moving away. The retreat back into the infirmary became blocked.

Odo was about to take more drastic measures to escape by morphing up and over the crowd to the upper level when he felt the familiar sensation of contact with another changeling requesting permission to form a link. Odo at first feared that the infant he was carrying would merge into him as the dying unformed changeling had. But as he initiated a link with the child he was startled to detect an intelligence behind it. "Father Odo." was clearly communicated. And when he and Odo joined there was a rapid transmission of instructions that was only possible within a Link.

And so, the crowd was astonished as not one, but two, Tarkalean Hawks suddenly flew over their heads and soared above the Promenade. Only Kira looked up and truly understood what had transpired.


	6. Farewells and Return to the Homeworld

Later, Odo emerged from his guest quarters to meet Kira in the hall. "Thank you for giving me this time alone with my son Nerys," he said. Odo then motioned to someone within the room. Out stepped a shorter, stockier version of Odo. His Bajoran features were even less refined than Odo's. "Kira Neyres, I would like you to meet Ital, my son. Ital, this is Kira." "I am pleased to meet you Captain Kira," Ital said very proper-like. "I've have heard a great deal about you." "Well I'm happy to meet your acquaintance too, Ital," Kira replied. "So your name is Ital?" she asked. "Yes," Ital responded. "Father Odo told me how he received his name. The label on the specimen jar in which he was kept after he had been found read 'unknown sample.' That was loosly translated to Cardassian 'odo'ital', the literal meaning being 'nothing', then shortened to'Odo.' 'Ital' restores Father Odo's original moniker." "That's very appropriate Odo."Kira said to Odo who nodded in reply.

"I'm sorry our date had to be canceled." Odo said. "Are you kidding me?" said Kira, "This has been the best date I've ever had, Odo." The three walked amicably to the docking station. As much as Odo regretted leaving Kira again, he knew that Ital deserved to experience the Great Link. He had been in contact with the Founder World and learned that the other Founders had indeed conspired to send the unformed changeling along with Odo. Although Odo had a right to be resentful at their continued subterfuge, he actually took it as a positive sign. The Founders had been willing to risk sending out a non-aware changeling, this time for the originally stated reason of expanding their collective awareness of the universe. Odo would have preferred that they had consulted with him. He would have readily encouraged the action. But building trust would continue to take time.

Back in the Gamma Quadrant, two humanoid figures beamed down onto a small rock outcropping surround by a sea that looked like molten gold. The two turned to, smiled and nodded at each other. Then in step, they began to walk into the waves. As they did so, their apparel changed into matching black and white tuxedos.


	7. Author's Notes

I wrote this short story "Son of Odo" back in 2007 when the last DS9 novel that had been published was "Warpath." I intended to submit it for possible inclusion in the Star Trek fan-fiction annual publication of short stories "Strange New Worlds" only to learn that that year was the last year of its publication. Even if "Strange New Worlds" had continued, "Son of Odo" would have been rejected outright. In reviewing the rules for submitted short stories (no killing off main characters, etc.) I discovered one rule: "No stories of Odo becoming pregnant" would be considered. It seems that I wasn't the first to come up with what I thought was the "clever" idea of Odo reproducing. And, apparently, the editors were sick of seeing such stories.

Nevertheless, upon rediscovering my story years later, I feel that the story reads well, is interesting and entertaining. At least, that is what I hope others might think. Set after the events in the DS9 novel "Warpath", the events in this story would no longer fit into the DS9 canon as established by later novels. Please consider it as an alternative timeline if necessary for your suspension of disbelief. And I hope you enjoy it.

Raymond


End file.
